Well folks, 2019 is slowly winding down and we saw some interesting trends unfold in the world of digital media. Digital ads spending reached an important milestone, social media users shifted the way they view content, and video ad spend continued to favor specific device types. So, let’s dive right in and break down what really happened!
Digital Ads for the Win!
This year marked the first time when digital ad spends surpassed traditional ad spending in the US with an estimated 54.2% of total spending going towards digital. Though revenues continued to grow for digital monsters Google and Facebook, 2019 is the first time digital spends decreased for both. Taking a leap in digital spend was Amazon which was estimated to grow more than 50% this past year in the US market. In traditional ad spend, the biggest two losers were directories (like Yellow Pages) with a 19% decline and print (including newspapers and magazines) with a 17.8% decline in spend.
Social Network Device Preference
Another trend we saw in 2019 was the device type that social media users accessed their accounts which continued to shift towards mobile devices and away form desktops and laptops. This shift comes as social platforms continued to develop more mobile-friendly features to their apps and as more users tended to use desktops/laptops for school or work purposes. With this trending throughout the years, it’s easy to see why Facebook advertisers spend 94% of their ad budgets on mobile.
Video Ads Making Moves
In 2019, 45.6% of all digital video ads will be placed on mobile devices. This increasing trend continued from past years as advertisers are trying to capitalize on the shift towards mobile usage. Advertisers in the US were expected to spend two-thirds of their digital budgets on mobile ad placements. However, video ads are still the only format where more marketing dollars are spent on channels other than mobile. This is partly due to the OTT ad spend on streaming services such as Hulu and other connected TV sources.
I hope we haven’t weighed you down with too many statistical insights, but it is important for businesses and advertisers to know emerging trends in order to best utilize marketing budgets. Stay tuned for part two of this article when we discuss some forecasts in digital media for 2020!
If you or someone you know would like to discuss your digital ad strategy, please feel free to contact us or call us at 713-309-6380.
Source: eMarketer